
'Maybe Happy Ending' tops Broadway's Tony Awards
Maybe Happy Ending, a South Korean musical adapted for Broadway about two robots who find connection, won big at Sunday's Tony Awards, scooping up six prizes at the gala celebrating the best in American theatre.
Stars of the season Cole Escola and Nicole Scherzinger also won their first Tonys, on a night that celebrated Broadway's revival after a years-long pandemic slump.
Cynthia Erivo - the Oscar-nominated Wicked star who herself boasts a Tony - hosted the ceremony at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall honoring this year's buzzy, diverse competitive slate .
It was Broadway's most financially lucrative year ever, she told the crowd.
"Broadway is officially back - provided we don't run out of cast members from Succession ," she joked, referring to the decorated TV dramedy about a family's media empire.
Sarah Snook - who scored an Emmy for her role in Succession - won the Tony for best leading actress in a play, taking on all 26 roles in the stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture Of Dorian Gray.
A host of new shows and stars drew 14.7 million people to the Broadway performances this season, grossing US$1.89bil (RM8.88bil) at the box office.
Some of showbiz's biggest names graced New York's stages, including George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal - and Snook's Succession co-stars Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong.
"Please go to the theatre, whether it's a Broadway show or a school play," said Michael Arden, who won a Tony for best direction of a musical for Maybe Happy Ending.
Darren Criss of Glee fame - already an Emmy winner for portraying killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story - won the Tony for lead actor in that musical.
"I have such immense pride to get to be part of this notably diverse exquisite Broadway season this year," he told the audience as he accepted his award.
Scherzinger bested a packed field including the legendary Audra McDonald - the performer with the most Tonys in history - for best actress in a musical for her role as faded star Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, which also won for best revival of a musical.
"If there's anyone out there who feels like they don't belong or your time hasn't come, don't give up," said an emotional Scherzinger, who once fronted the pop girl group The Pussycat Dolls.
"Just keep on giving and giving because the world needs your love and your light now more than ever. This is a testament that love always wins."
'Oh, Mary!'
Even though Escola's hit dark comedy Oh, Mary! was the favorite for best new play, the award went to intense family portrait Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, which also won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
But Escola still won big for their unhinged performance in the one-act reimagining of Abraham Lincoln's assassination through the eyes of his wife - a raging alcoholic who dreams of life as a cabaret star.
Escola bested a stacked field that included Clooney.
Oh, Mary! also snagged the prize for best direction, won by Sam Pinkleton.
"You have taught me to make what you love and not what you think people want to see," Pinkleton said in his speech, speaking directly to a tearful Escola.
"We can bring joy to people at the end of a crappy day and that feels like a big deal to me," Pinkleton added to ardent applause.
The night's rollicking performances included a gripping rendition of Rose's Turn from McDonald, and a captivating performance of As If We Never Said Goodbye from Scherzinger.
The gala also featured a much-touted reunion of the original cast of Hamilton, as that groundbreaking smash musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda celebrates its 10th anniversary.
A heartfelt segment honoured those the theatre community lost over the past year, with Erivo and Sara Bareilles delivering the classic Tomorrow from Annie.
The song's composer, Charles Strouse, died last month.
Some acceptance speeches made oblique references to ongoing political turmoil across the United States, as President Donald Trump's immigration raids trigger protests. But Trump was not explicitly mentioned. - AFP
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Sinar Daily
11 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
Tony Awards 2025: Who won big on broadway's biggest night?
New York City has rolled out the red carpet for the best of Broadway as the 78th Annual Tony Awards takes over Radio City Music Hall. It's the pinnacle of the theatre world's calendar, where talent, drama and a whole lot of sequins converge under one iconic roof. British singer and actress Cynthia Erivo attends the 78th Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York on June 8, 2025. (Photo by kena betancur / AFP) Hosted by Cynthia Erivo, the ceremony celebrates a record-breaking Broadway season that pulled in an eye-watering $1.83 billion in ticket sales. And now, the 2024 Tony Award winners: Best Leading Actress in a Musical Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd. (WINNER) Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her Audra McDonald, Gypsy Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her Best Leading Actor in a Musical Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending (WINNER) Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd. Jonathan Groff, Just in Time James Monroe Iglehart, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins Best New Musical Maybe Happy Ending (WINNER) Buena Vista Dead Outlaw Death Becomes Her Operation Mincemeat Best New Play Purpose (WINNER) English The Hills of California John Proctor is the Villain Oh Mary! Best Musical Revival Sunset Boulevard (WINNER) Floyd Collins Gypsy Pirates! The Penzance Musical Best Play Revival Eureka Day (WINNER) Our Town Romeo Juliet Yellow Face US actor George Clooney and his wife Lebanese-British barrister Amal Clooney attend the 78th Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York on June 8, 2025. Photo by Kena Betancur/AFP Best Actor in a Play Cole Escola, Oh Mary! (WINNER) George Clooney, Good Night and Good Luck Jon Michael Hill, Purpose Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face Henry Lennix, Purpose Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow Best Actress in a Play Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray (WINNER) Sadie Sink, John Proctor is the Villain Mia Farrow, The Roommate La Tanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose Best Direction in a Musical Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending (WINNER) Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club David Cromer, Dead Outlaw Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Boulevard Best Direction of a Play Sam Pinkleton, Oh Mary! (WINNER) Knud Adams, English Sam Mendes, The Hills of California Danya Taymor, John Proctor Is the Villain Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray US actress Kara Young poses with the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play award for "Purpose" in the press room during the 78th Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York on June 8, 2025. Photo by Kena Betancur/AFP Best Featured Actress in a Play Kara Young, Purpose (WINNER) Tala Ashe, English Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day Marjan Neshat, English Fina Strazza, John Proctor Is the Villain Best Featured Actor in a Play Francis Jue, Yellow Face (WINNER) Glenn Davis, Purpose Gabriel Ebert, John Proctor Is the Villain Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross Conrad Ricamora, Oh Mary! Best Featured Actress in a Musical Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club (WINNER) Julia Knitel, Dead Outlaw Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves Joy Woods, Gypsy Best Featured Actor in a Musical Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat (WINNER) Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw Danny Burstein, Gypsy Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins Best Book of a Musical Maybe Happy Ending (WINNER) Buena Vista Social Club Dead Outlaw Death Becomes Her Operation Mincemeat Best Scenic Design of a Play Miriam Buether and 59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow (WINNER) Marsha Ginsberg, English Rob Howell, The Hills of California Marg Horwell and David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray Scott Pask, Good Night, and Good Luck Best Featured Actress in a Musical Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club (WINNER) Julia Knitel, Dead Outlaw Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves Joy Woods, Gypsy Best Featured Actor in a Musical Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat (WINNER) Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw Danny Burstein, Gypsy Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins Best Book of a Musical Maybe Happy Ending (WINNER) Buena Vista Social Club Dead Outlaw Death Becomes Her Operation Mincemeat Best Scenic Design of a Play Miriam Buether and 59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow (WINNER) Marsha Ginsberg, English Rob Howell, The Hills of California Marg Horwell and David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray Scott Pask, Good Night, and Good Luck Best Orchestrations Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club (WINNER) Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending Bruce Coughlin, Floyd Collins David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sunset Boulevard Best Sound Design of a Play Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow (WINNER) Palmer Heferan, John Proctor Is the Villain Daniel Kluger, Good Night and Good Luck Nick Powell, The Hills of California Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray Best Original Score Maybe Happy Ending, Will Aronson and Hue Park (WINNER) Dead Outlaw, David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna Death Becomes Her, Julia Mattison and Noel Carey Operation Mincemeat, David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts Real Women Have Curves, Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez Best Costume Design of a Musical Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her (WINNER) Dede Ayite, Buena Vista Social Club Gregg Barnes, Boop Clint Ramos, Maybe Happy Ending Catherine Zuber, Just in Time


The Star
13 hours ago
- The Star
'Maybe Happy Ending' tops Broadway's Tony Awards
Maybe Happy Ending, a South Korean musical adapted for Broadway about two robots who find connection, won big at Sunday's Tony Awards, scooping up six prizes at the gala celebrating the best in American theatre. Stars of the season Cole Escola and Nicole Scherzinger also won their first Tonys, on a night that celebrated Broadway's revival after a years-long pandemic slump. Cynthia Erivo - the Oscar-nominated Wicked star who herself boasts a Tony - hosted the ceremony at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall honoring this year's buzzy, diverse competitive slate . It was Broadway's most financially lucrative year ever, she told the crowd. "Broadway is officially back - provided we don't run out of cast members from Succession ," she joked, referring to the decorated TV dramedy about a family's media empire. Sarah Snook - who scored an Emmy for her role in Succession - won the Tony for best leading actress in a play, taking on all 26 roles in the stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture Of Dorian Gray. A host of new shows and stars drew 14.7 million people to the Broadway performances this season, grossing US$1.89bil (RM8.88bil) at the box office. Some of showbiz's biggest names graced New York's stages, including George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal - and Snook's Succession co-stars Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong. "Please go to the theatre, whether it's a Broadway show or a school play," said Michael Arden, who won a Tony for best direction of a musical for Maybe Happy Ending. Darren Criss of Glee fame - already an Emmy winner for portraying killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story - won the Tony for lead actor in that musical. "I have such immense pride to get to be part of this notably diverse exquisite Broadway season this year," he told the audience as he accepted his award. Scherzinger bested a packed field including the legendary Audra McDonald - the performer with the most Tonys in history - for best actress in a musical for her role as faded star Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, which also won for best revival of a musical. "If there's anyone out there who feels like they don't belong or your time hasn't come, don't give up," said an emotional Scherzinger, who once fronted the pop girl group The Pussycat Dolls. "Just keep on giving and giving because the world needs your love and your light now more than ever. This is a testament that love always wins." 'Oh, Mary!' Even though Escola's hit dark comedy Oh, Mary! was the favorite for best new play, the award went to intense family portrait Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, which also won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. But Escola still won big for their unhinged performance in the one-act reimagining of Abraham Lincoln's assassination through the eyes of his wife - a raging alcoholic who dreams of life as a cabaret star. Escola bested a stacked field that included Clooney. Oh, Mary! also snagged the prize for best direction, won by Sam Pinkleton. "You have taught me to make what you love and not what you think people want to see," Pinkleton said in his speech, speaking directly to a tearful Escola. "We can bring joy to people at the end of a crappy day and that feels like a big deal to me," Pinkleton added to ardent applause. The night's rollicking performances included a gripping rendition of Rose's Turn from McDonald, and a captivating performance of As If We Never Said Goodbye from Scherzinger. The gala also featured a much-touted reunion of the original cast of Hamilton, as that groundbreaking smash musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda celebrates its 10th anniversary. A heartfelt segment honoured those the theatre community lost over the past year, with Erivo and Sara Bareilles delivering the classic Tomorrow from Annie. The song's composer, Charles Strouse, died last month. Some acceptance speeches made oblique references to ongoing political turmoil across the United States, as President Donald Trump's immigration raids trigger protests. But Trump was not explicitly mentioned. - AFP


The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Broadway has found its Gen Z audience - by telling Gen Z stories
Kimberly Belflower knew John Proctor Is The Villain needed its final cathartic scene to work - and, for that, it needed Lorde's Green Light. "I literally told my agent, 'I would rather the play just not get done if it can't use that song,'' the playwright laughed. She wrote Lorde a letter, explaining what the song meant, and got her green light. Starring Sadie Sink, the staggering play about high schoolers studying The Crucible as the #MeToo movement arrives in their small Georgia town, earned seven Tony nominations, including best new play - the most of any this season. It's among a group of Broadway shows that have centred the stories of young people and attracted audiences to match. Sam Gold's Brooklyn-rave take on Romeo + Juliet, nominated for best revival of a play and led by Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler with music from Jack Antonoff, drew the youngest ticket-buying audience recorded on Broadway, producers reported, with 14% of ticket purchasers aged 18-24, compared to the industry average of 3%. The shows share some DNA: pop music (specifically the stylings of Antonoff, who also produced Green Light ), Hollywood stars with established fanbases and stories that reflect the complexity of young adulthood. "It was very clear that young people found our show because it was doing what theatre's supposed to do,' Gold said. "Be a mirror.' Embracing the poetry of teenage language The themes John Proctor investigates aren't danced around (until they literally are). The girls are quick to discuss #MeToo's impact, intersectional feminism and sexual autonomy. Their conversations, true to teenage girlhood, are laced with comedy and pop culture references - Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Twilight, and, of course, Lorde. Sadie Sink, left, and Amalia Yoo during a performance of 'John Proctor Is the Villain' in New York. Photo: AP Fina Strazza, 19, portrays Beth, a leader who is whip-smart and well-intentioned - but whose friendships and belief system are shaken by the play's revelations. "You have so much empathy and are so invested in her, but she still has these mishaps and slip-ups that young people often have,' said Strazza, nominated for best featured actor in a play. Some audience members have given her letters detailing how Beth helped them forgive themselves for how they handled similar experiences. The script is written in prose, with frequent line breaks and infrequent capital letters. Director Danya Taymor, nominated for best direction of a play a year after winning a Tony for another teenage canon classic, The Outsiders, was drawn to that rhythm - and how Belflower's depiction of adolescence captured its intensity, just as S.E. Hinton had. "There's something about the teenage years that is so raw,' Taymor said. "None of us can escape it.' Classic themes, made modern During his Tony-winning production of An Enemy Of The People, Gold found himself having conversations with young actors and theatergoers about climate change, politics and how "theatre was something that people their age and younger really need in a different way, as the world is becoming so addicted to technology,' he said. That conjured Romeo And Juliet. The original text "has it all in terms of what it means to inherit the future that people older than you have created,' Gold said. Kathryn Gallagher, left, and Havana Rose Liu appear in a scene from 'All Nighter' in New York. Photo: AP Building the world of this show, with an ensemble under 30, was not unlike building An Enemy Of The People, set in 19th century Norway, Gold said: "I think the difference is that the world that I made for this show is something that a very hungry audience had not gotten to see.' Fans, Gold correctly predicted, were ravenous. Demand ahead of the first preview prompted a preemptive extension. Word (and bootleg video) of Connor doing a pullup to kiss Zegler made the rounds. Man Of The House, an Antonoff-produced ballad sung by Zegler mid-show, was released as a single. With the show premiering just before the US presidential election, Voters of Tomorrow even registered new voters in the lobby. Audiences proved willing to pay: Average ticket prices hovered around US$150 (RM710). Cheaper rush and lottery tickets drew lines hours before the box office opened. Every week but one sold out. "The show was initially really well sold because we had a cast that appealed to a really specific audience,' said producer Greg Nobile of Seaview Productions. "We continued to see the houses sell out because these audiences came, and they were all over online talking about the ways in which they actually felt seen.' Building a Gen Z theatre experience with Gen Z Thomas Laub, 28, and Alyah Chanelle Scott, 27, started Runyonland Productions for that very reason. "We both felt a lot of frustration with the industry, and the ways that we were boxed out of it as students in Michigan who were able to come to New York sparingly,' said Laub. Rachel Zegler as Juliet, right, and Kit Connor as Romeo, during a performance of 'Romeo + Juliet' in New York. Photo: AP Runyonland was launched in 2018 with the premise that highlighting new, bold voices would bring change. This spring, Scott, known for playing Whitney in HBO's Sex Lives Of College Girls, acted off-Broadway in Natalie Margolin's All Nighter. "I was standing onstage and looking out and seeing the college kids that I was playing,' said Scott. "I was like, 'I respect you so much. I want to do you proud. I want to show you a story that represents you in a way that doesn't belittle or demean you, but uplifts you.'' Producing John Proctor, Scott said, gave Runyonland the opportunity to target that audience on a Broadway scale. Belflower developed the show with students as part of a The Farm College Collaboration Project. It's been licensed over 100 times for high school and college productions. The Broadway production's social and influencer marketing is run by 20-somethings, too. Previews attracted fans with a US$29 (RM123) ticket lottery. While average prices jumped to over US$100 (RM423) last week (still below the Broadway-wide average), US$40 (RM169) rush, lottery and standing room tickets have sold out most nights, pushing capacity over 100%. The success is validating Runyonland's mission, Laub said. "Alyah doesn't believe me that I cry every time at the end,' said Laub. Scott laughs. "I just want to assure you, on the record, that I do indeed cry every time.' Harnessing a cultural catharsis The final scene of John Proctor is a reclamation fuelled by rage and Green Light. Capturing that electricity has been key to the show's marketing. "The pullup (in Romeo + Juliet ) is so impactful because it's so real. It's like so exactly what a teenage boy would do,' said Taymor. 'John Proctor Is the Villain' is among a group of Broadway shows that have centred the stories of young people and attracted audiences to match. Photo: AP "I think when you see the girls in John Proctor screaming ... it hits you in a visceral way.' That screaming made the Playbill cover. "In my opinion, the look and feel of that campaign feels different from a traditional theatrical campaign, and it feels a lot closer to a film campaign,' said Laub. The show's team indeed considered the zeitgeist-infiltrating work of their sister industries, specifically studios like Neon and A24. In May, John Proctor Is The Villain finished its second "spirit week' with a school spirit day. Earlier events included an ice cream social - actors served Van Leeuwen - a silent disco and a banned book giveaway. For those not in their own school's colours, the merch stand offered T-shirts, including one printed with the Walt Whitman-channeling line said by Sink's Shelby: "I contain frickin' multitudes.' Julia Lawrence, 26, designed the shirt after the show's team saw her TikTok video reimagining their traditional merch into something more like a concert tee. "It's just so incredible to bring Gen Z into the theatre that way, especially at a time when theatre has never been more important,' said Lawrence. "In a world that's overpowered by screens, live art can be such a powerful way to find understanding.' - AP